* If you aint on top, you're on the bottom.
- If you aint on top, you're on the bottom. Droaam is one of the harshest lands on Khorvaire, run by a trio of merciless hags and home to some of the most bloodthirsty beasts known to decent civilised beings. The weak are slaves or die, the strong survive.
- Don't pick fights with Gnolls. The Gnolls have placed themselves in the enviable position of being soliders and basic military forces to every "side" in the struggle between factions within Droaam. And with such a position they hold great sway. When you fight one Gnoll, you are picking a fight with the entire Gnoll Brotherhood, who will stop working for you or even single you out in revenge. Internal disputes are another matter however.
- The Hags have eyes and ears everywhere. Your neighbour (if you could call a troll a neighbour), mightn't report to Sora Maenya, even his boss mightn't, but somewhere along the line every piece of information makes its way back to the Daughters. Through a combination of extortion, bribery, threats of violence or bargaining the Daughters maintain their awareness of what is happening in Droaam and deal with matters when necessary.
- The rest of the world hates/fears you. Those weak fools just over the Byeshk mountains fear Droaam and fear what you represent. You're a monster, you are an unthinking beast that exists only to kill. Don't expect pity/help from any of them and don't give any in return.
- Defy the sisters and die. Sure Callain of the Bloody Word causes trouble for the Sisters, but sooner or later she'll be exterminated like every othre enemy of the trio. Do what the sisters want and you'll be rewarded, defy them and die, it's a simple choice.
I've got my group currently marooned in the middle of Droaam, so I've been working on all sorts of stuff for the Land of Monsters ;) .
- Graywall, the segmented city where the last of the Brelish "natives" are holding out and the Dragonmarked Houses are trying to tuck in.
- Vralkek, Droaam's coastal town angling to become the new port of choice for pirates and smugglers.
- Cazhaak Draal, the city of stone where the medusas have established a lethal but sophisticated noble class.
- The Great Crag, a madhouse of barracks and doctrinal celebrations for the Daughters' heterogenous armies.
- Mordain's Hall, where even the Daughters knock before entering, and the inhabitants make trolls seem pretty by comparison.
- The plains and the hills where the Gnoll Brotherhood (and the matriarchal tribes to whom they remit their paychecks) still runs the show.
The gnolls and medusas have gotten more of my attention in terms of background development, although it's Daask ("The Daughters' outreach program") that my players have encountered most often.
Oh, which part of Droaam to start with!
- Graywall, the segmented city where the last of the Brelish "natives" are holding out and the Dragonmarked Houses are trying to tuck in.
- Vralkek, Droaam's coastal town angling to become the new port of choice for pirates and smugglers.
- Cazhaak Draal, the city of stone where the medusas have established a lethal but sophisticated noble class.
- The Great Crag, a madhouse of barracks and doctrinal celebrations for the Daughters' heterogenous armies.
- Mordain's Hall, where even the Daughters knock before entering, and the inhabitants make trolls seem pretty by comparison.
- The plains and the hills where the Gnoll Brotherhood (and the matriarchal tribes to whom they remit their paychecks) still runs the show.
The gnolls and medusas have gotten more of my attention in terms of background development, although it's Daask ("The Daughters' outreach program") that my players have encountered most often.
Go lethal but sophisticated medusas noble class.
Now i have come up with political intrigue that will be good and i will soon come up with some more stuff also i keep going.
Mordain the Fleshweaver soon join in an Alliance with The Queen of Stone. If Sheshka helps start a war with the Eldeen Reaches and then helps mordains people get in to the borders and get his hands on Daelkyr magic. If this happens, Mordain will help The Queen of Stone over throw the hags. Mordain also gets all the magic the hags have in there collection. but could there be a others in the plans that can see all with not eyes, loves a good war and always has half a dozen plots going on at the same time???
Gorodan Ashlord is looking for more magic and see Aundair as a places for it. The Arcane Congress see this as the way to get their hands on the magic and ruins in his domain. But the hags will never let any Aundairian wizards in there lands but with a little confict between the lords or the land might be the way to do it but is there more in it.
That is two but i will get some more.
(note- I kept this post setting neutral in regards to 3e/4e)
With all the necessary writs, charters, paperwork and exchange of money, some adventurers and explorers find just preparing to go to Xen'Drik a challenge. Whilst Sharn might be the official "Hub City" when starting a Xen'Drik expedition, Vralkek is the unofficial one. Located on the southern coast of Droaam, this semi-lawless city is where the loose of morales and scruples goes when engaging in less-than-legal expeditions to Xen'Drik.
Anything goes is the rule when it comes to Vralkek and the traders that do business within the cities bounds don't ask questions. House Deneith does a brisk trade in "guard duty", escorting somewhat shady traders to the city from Graywall and back, not asking questions as long as they get paid. And explorers who come back with valuable artefacts had best keep a low profile, it's not uncommon for someone to get knifed in an alley or one of the inns and their spoils stolen.
Vralkek is built upon and integrated into the ruins of an ancient lizardfolk city whose name has been lost to the annals of time. But the lizardfolk still live here and make up the bulk of the monstrous population. Calling themselves the Scarred Dawn clan (in the common tongue), the lizardfolk are the builders, inn owners, dock-workers and hired muscle of Vralkek. The lizardfolk are very specifically independant of the local fractious factions, taking a stance similar to the Gnoll Brotherhood. As a result the lizardfolk make a decent profit for maintaining the port-town and ensure that nobody is stupid enough to pick a fight with them. Locals also speak of the Lizardfolk patron, a bronze dragon of indeterminant age and orgins, though nobody has witnessed the beast in decades, leading to rumours that it is a ruse or legend rather than fact. The lizardfolk are tight-lipped, but of interest are the ritual burn-scars that they achieve during adolescence that have the apperance forked lightning.
Clan Shaman Ras'mar'ak is the nominal leader of lizardfolk and could be considered the "Mayor" of the city. The truth is though that as long as Ras'mar'ak gets her cut of the illegal profits she is happy to turn a blind eye to whatever else occurs in the city.
The Black Highway (Forge of War, pg 56) has a small base of operations with Vralkek. Headed up by Whistle (male personality warforged), they do a brisk trade in stolen or questionable weapons, armour and miscellaneous equipment.
Bloodhaze (wartroll) is the representative of the Hags and their authority within Vralkek. For the most part he doesn't interfere with the politics and deaths that are frequent within the port-town, but from time to time will step in for seemingly inexplicable reasons. The actions of the Hags are inscrutable and seemingly random. Bloodhaze does however take a personal interest in adventurers and "folk from beyond the mountains", i.e. anyone of the common races. The wartroll is convinced that King Boranel is sending spies from Breland to destablise Vralkek and the Droaam if possible.
...to be continued...
The Rest of the Gnolls
It's important to understand that the Gnoll Brotherhood is merely that segment of Droaamite gnoll culture with which non-gnolls have the most contact. The gnolls of Droaam are actually broken up into four or five major tribes, each with its own sub-set of clans. While they differ in fashion, language, territory, and compatibility, in general the tribes are all:
- Hunter-gatherers
- Nomadic
- Dangerous to non-gnolls
- Matriarchal
The matriarchal nature of the gnoll tribes is one reason there is a Gnoll Brotherhood; religion is the other.
Gnoll Fraternities
In a traditional clan, gnoll males acquire the wealth (territory, prey, spoils of war) and the gnoll females control the wealth (ordering the camp, dividing supplies, and crafting). The gnoll males spend a great deal of time "on the road" with fellow warriors of roughly the same age group, looking for anything they can stick a spear in and drag back to the clan. Out of convenience and practicality, these hunting parties also became the venue for gnollish religious expression. Before going on a hunt, a party invokes its particular patron for luck and success. The Mockery and Balinor are the most common, but the Devourer and various terrible names from the Age of Demons can also be heard upon their lips.
When two gnoll hunting parties met that shared similar enough patrons, it became common for them to join forces and redirect their hunt against an unworthy third party. In this way, gnolls from different clans and even different tribes developed a method of cooperation-- or at least, agreeing long enough to slaughter someone else. In time, these inter-tribal fraternities learned that stronger monsters in Droaam (the ogre mages, the medusas, harpies) were willing to pay the gnolls to focus their hunt on a target of the buyer's choice. This meant more wealth and success for everybody involved, and proved a popular practice. The philosophical and tribal differences between segments of a war party were often lost on non-gnolls, and thus the perception of the Gnoll Brotherhood was born.
The Gnoll Brotherhood in Practice
A patron with the personal power to open negotiations and the wealth to keep the gnolls interested usually contacts a scout first. The scout then brings his personal hunting fraternity to meet the patron and discuss terms. If the proposed job sounds big enough, the fraternity will contact other allies in the region to mount a larger war party. Gnolls travel fast, and know the land well, so mounting even a large horde rarely takes longer than a week. They are self-supporting during a campaign, but prefer any task to be over and done with as soon as possible so they can get paid. The gnolls are best suited to raiding, ambushing caravans, and wanton destruction-- defensive fighting and policing do not interest them. For payment they prefer meat, weapons and armor, and gold (and usually in that order). Note that for many bands of gnolls, "meat" includes prisoners. Patrons who want to ransom captives later had better specify who's not on the menu.
The Sisterhood of Gnolls
While the gnolls who hire out as mercenaries through the Brotherhoods are predominantly male, they are not exclusively so. Gnoll females are just as capable (and vicious), and sometimes more accustomed to being in charge. Among some of the larger clans, gnoll females gather in hunting sororities that are on par with the fraternities. Overtly mixed hunting parties are very uncommon--curiously, it is more common for a gnoll to cross-dress to join an existing group. (Given that "dress" for gnolls consists of armor, filth, and fury, this isn't as big a deal for them as it is for, say, dwarves.)
Since the Last War
The creation of the monstrous nation of Droaam has affected the traditions of the Gnoll Brotherhood, and not necessarily for the better. Under the leadership of the Daughters of Sora Kell, mercenary contracts are lasting longer and ranging further afield. The influx of slave trading wealth through Vralkek and Dragonmarked money through Graywall means more gnolls are being paid in silver-- which usually turns straight into kuryeva (the strong, gin-like alcohol from Xendrik). This disruption of remittances has put a great strain on the gnoll tribes, even forcing some of the clans to move into burgeoning slums near urban centers like The Great Crag.
Adventuring Gnolls
Gnolls are natural rangers and warriors, and their religious inclinations lead to warlockery with frightening regularity. More ambitious gnolls have been known to leave the raiding life behind to plunder Dhakaani ruins and deal with the great monsters on their own terms. With House Tharashk to provide introductions, gnolls have even joined adventuring companies and earned names for themselves in Sharn, Darguun, and more distant lands. While gnolls are not attacked on sight, they still have a reputation for aggression (a fair cop), cannibalism (a vicious slander by goblins!), and demon worship (only true half the time). Last War veterans who survived gnoll mercenary encounters and displaced Brelanders are the most likely to harrass a gnoll if they think they can get away with it. By the same token, the nobility and Dragonmarked heirs will often hire a gnoll for his (her?) sheer intimidation value. A traditional gnoll will be sure to send a portion of treasure back to the clan in Droaam; less traditional gnolls will blow it all on fancy weapons and feasts (a Ghallanda inn-keeper's nightmare).
Everybody Has Their Quirks
The mercenaries of the Gnoll Brotherhood have one foible, and that's a screeching distaste for warforged. Warforged don't express pain like other creatures, don't bleed right, don't taste right, and are far tougher to capture or put down than a human conscript. Droaamite gnolls usually charge double to go against warforged units, and will treat one they see on the street the same way humans would treat a rattlesnake.
Ancient and Recent History
Droaam may be a new nation, but Cazhaak Draal is an incredibly ancient city. It was a major garrison for the Dhakaani Empire for centuries before the gate to Khyber erupted in the middle of it, and even today a dilligent scholar can find mentions of it in goblin dirges all the way to Darguun. Throughout the millenia that followed, the ruins became legendary among barbarian and later Galifaran adventurers as a sprawling, statue-strewn dungeon. Bardic ballads, Sivis chronicles, and Kundarak insurance records are full of heroic names that sought Cazhaak Draal and never came back.
Even Cazhaak Draal's "modern" history began just over two centuries ago, when a powerful band of medusas emerged from Khyber to lay claim to the city. It is unknown why these normally reclusive harridans would unite and migrate to the surface world, but in the generations that followed it was clear that they came to stay. As they slinked their way through the ruins of the goblin metropolis, the medusas tamed the cockatrices, basilisks, and gorgons that roamed its streets, and then turned their gaze at the surrounding lands. They conquered, cowed, and enslaved the neighboring humanoid tribes, and set about rebuilding the ruins according to their own tastes. Eventually, the original band grew into several families, and then full-fledged households with heirs and retainers. It is probably not a coincidence that by the time the Daughters of Sora Kell approached Queen Sheshka, the medusas of Cazhaak Draal had developed a society stable enough to field its own (relatively small, but very, very potent) army and entertain ideas of statehood.
A Well Manored City
The ancient hobgoblins built Cazhaak Draal as an imperial garrison. The city featured curtain walls, gate houses, barracks, armories, stables, many of which merged into underground into cisterns, troop tunnels, and warehouses. The officers and other elites of the goblin empire had magnificent personal residences, and triumphal architecture commemorated great battles and victories. While the millenia have worn away the finer details and engravings, the hobgoblins built to withstand assaults by ogres, and nearly 40% of the city's buildings remain intact.
While the medusas have flourished, the city is still underoccupied (which is why it is still marked on most maps as a ruin). Just 20% of Cazhaak Draal has been rennovated, and given the medusas' selfish temperament it is not a contiguous fifth. A medusa seeking to establish her own house will venture into an unclaimed quarter of the city, find a building that she likes, and clear it of any squatter monsters. Then, using the goblin architecture as a base, she will transform the building according to her own talents and taste. Architectural skill has become something of a point of pride among the medusas. Since they can't look each other in the face, they spend a great deal of time looking at each other's walls, and impressing the neighbors is a major mode of communication. A rehabilitated manor house usually features complex systems of screens, lattices, alcoves, loges, and divided rooms-- any clever feature that allows the medusa to see the rest of a room or hall while remaining relatively concealed. Specific rooms are set aside for guests, family, servants, and slaves; the mistress of the house will have her own private sanctum, the entrance to which may or may not be concealed.
Title
Sheshka, like her predecessors (whose number depends on your campaign), styles herself as the Queen of Stone. Cazhaak Draal is not a true feudal monarchy, however, and the titles the other medusas claim have more to do with ego and intimidation than any real pecking order. There are duchesses, countesses, marquesas, and ladies, as well as seers, dominatrices, and generals. Occasionally a medusa will craft a name for herself invoking some ancient feature of Cazhaak Draal, such as "Makasch, Signatory of the Thaaral Stele" (a great slab on which are listed the legions that once served the city). Medusas operating under contracts with House Deneith or House Tharashk tend to have the most florid titles, turning their accomplishments into boastful epithets.
It is worth noting that although Cazhaak Draal is composed of several powerful households, the medusas have no custom of using family or clan names. There is some advantage to having a powerful mother or daughter, but medusas prefer to be recognized for their own achievements.
Unpleasant Topic
The medusas are intelligent, strong-willed, and hard working; they are also selfish and cruel. While they enjoy the mental challenge of rebuilding a city and forging a new nation, they consider much of the menial labor involved beneath them, and nine times out of ten they find it more expedient to enslave someone rather than hire them. For every medusa in Cazhaak Draal, there are fifteen to twenty slaves. Most are orcs and goblins, but some medusas may have a more heterogenous "collection." While servitude in the City of Stone may be more predictable than under a Darguuni lash or a gnoll's scourge, it is not better. Any comfort found living under a medusa's roof is accidental, and even the most generous mistress may suddenly decide that a loyal servant would look better as a cloak rack. Cazhaak slaves for the most part keep their eyes down, work desperately, and dream of escape.
Down on the Farm
Aside from a few fertile valleys (which are continually fought over by nomadic tribes), Droaam is a rocky and barren land with minimal rainfall. During their two centuries above ground, however, the medusas have managed to work a minor wonder with the resources at hand. Using their skill at stonework, they have restored the Dhakaani cisterns and aqueducts, and added new irrigation systems that spread out over the hills around Cazhaak Draal. As a result, the City of Stone also controls some of the most arable land in all of Droaam. Slaves tend fields of crops and domestic herds, while tamed cockatrices keep disruptive vermin to a minimum. Each medusa household has its own associated orchards and fields on the outskirts of the city which usually produce more than they need. The growth of new cities like Vralkek and The Great Crag has created a demand for grain and livestock, and the medusas are beginning to toy with the idea of exporting the surplus. If the medusas could only get House Orien to establish a trade road, Cazhaak Draal could be the new breadbasket of the monstrous nation.
The Middle Class
The medusas unquestionably hold the top spots in Cazhaak Draal, and slaves suffer at the bottom. If the City of Stone has a middle class, it occupies the tiny sliver of space between the proprietors and the property. The medusas usually refer to this class of person as "guests." Visiting slave traders, emissaries from the other Droaamite factions, and skilled artisans or adventurers under contract (especially from the Dragonmarked guilds) make up this segment of the population. A guest usually stays in a suite or bungalow set aside for them by their medusa sponsor. Few remain in Cazhaak Draal for very long-- guests who overstay their welcome tend to end up slaves or statues.
If your campaign includes maedar (the uncommon male medusa), they probably end up in this level of society, acting as negotiators and front men for their mothers and sisters. While they are not actively disenfranchised (as male drow are, in some campaign settings), they are not encouraged to set up their own households, and are generally busy enough with tasks that can’t be entrusted to slaves or outsiders. A maedar’s contentment with this situation is up for debate—they are, after all, the sons of an ambitious, self-made ruling class, and the chip doesn’t land far from the block.
Business in Cazhaak Draal
Aside from its burgeoning agribusiness, Cazhaak Draal is conveniently close to the Byeshk Mountains and is becoming a major producer of that purple metal. Queen Sheshka grants license to prospectors from House Tharashk, and in return for some protection she takes a cut of the mining profits. The medusas also do a tidy trade in monster parts (gorgon hides, basilisk eyes, etc) and Khyber shards with foreign magewrights. But the medusas themselves are the principal product of the City of Stone-- their talents at architecture are in demand in Droaam's new urban centers, and the younger heirs are eager to build their reputations through mercenary exploits.
As for imports, the medusas are primarily interested in two things: slaves, and luxuries. Slaves are needed most for labor, farming, and basic crafting, but the more affluent households will also pay well for talented artisans and musicians. A medusa's power and position leave them with a lot of leisure time, and their increased contact with the outside world during the Last War revealed a continent's worth of treasures to fill it. Dragonmarked products, from Ghallanda wines to Cannith magic, command the best prices, followed by glamourweave, jewelry, and art.
A visitor to Cazhaak Draal will find there are no shops per se. Each household is more or less self-sufficient, producing its own food, clothing, and basic goods. A medusa sponsor will provide room and board to guests for little or no cost, and basic necessities (rope, lanterns, and other adventuring gear) are likewise available for free if it serves a medusa's interests. More important items like weapons, armor, and magic can only be acquired from the medusas themselves, and rarely for something so simple as money (it's a long way to the markets where they could spend it). Instead, medusas are likely to demand service as payment: clearing out a dungeon, escorting a caravan to the Great Crag, and similar "errands" they have no time for themselves.
Keep up the great work!
At the risk of over-stoning the thread, I'll just sneak in one medusa NPC here:
Blind Stheno
Stheno is a fourth generation daughter of Cazhaak Draal and a seer of The Shadow. Some time after Sora Teraza’s historic encounter with Queen Sheshka, Stheno managed to arrange her own audience with the dusk hag. The two spoke for a night and a day—about what, Stheno has not revealed. But at the end of their conversation, the medusa emerged from her chapel and used her snakes to gouge out her own eyes.
Since then, Blind Stheno has wandered the avenues of Cazhaak Draal alone, forsaking her house and sleeping in abandoned ruins. She retains enough perception through her mane of snakes to negotiate the crumbling walls and paths of the city, and though she has lost her petrifying gaze, her divine powers have grown. She claims to hear the voices of the transformed, and spends the majority of her time whispering to the stony remains along the Street of Statues. The other medusas bring Blind Stheno offerings in exchange for prophecies and prayers to The Shadow, and the slaves and beasts of Cazhaak Draal give her a wide berth.
For PCs, Blind Stheno could be one more obstacle to infiltrating the City of Stone, or a dangerous source of secrets. She has removed herself from medusa society, and feels no obligation to raise alarms (nor would her peers feel obliged to avenge her death). If approached properly, Blind Stheno could reveal a missing piece of information that the party needs, or offer leads to a new adventure. Mad or not, she knows a great deal of lore about the city and Khyber in addition to her oracular powers.
3.5 Ed Blind Stheno
In 3.5 edition rules, Blind Stheno is a medusa with several levels of cleric. She has lost her gaze attack, but makes up for it with curses and Earth spells (meld into stone, stone shape, etc). She can also cause petrified creatures to fight for her for a few rounds, using the stats of a medium animated object. Her poison causes Wisdom damage instead of Strength damage, and induces intense, nightmarish hallucinations.
Here's a rough rough draft-- don't ask me what challenge level!
Blind Stheno
Medium Monstrous Humanoid (Medusa/Cleric 7)
Hit Dice: 12d8+12 (80 hp)
Initiative: +6
Speed: 30 ft (6 squares)
Armor Class: 18 (+2 Dex, +3 natural, +3 ring of protection)
Base Attack/Grapple: +11/+11
Attack: Snakes +13 melee (1d6 plus poison)
Full Attack: Snakes +13 melee (1d6 plus poison)
Space/Reach: 5 ft
Special Attacks: Stone Command, poison, spells
Special Qualities: Spells
Saves: Fort +8, Ref +9, Will +13
Abilities: Str 10, Dex 15, Con 12, Int 12, Wis 16, Cha 15
Skills: Hide in Shadows, Intimidate, Knowledge (History), Knowledge (Religion), Listen, Move Silently, Survival
Feats: Greater Bite, Weapon Finesse, Improved Initiative, Track, Greater Venom
Spells
0 detect magic, guidance (x3), resistance, read magic
1 bane, cause fear, comprehend languages, doom*, entropic shield, sanctuary
2 augury*, darkness, spiritual weapon, undetectable alignment, zone of truth
3 bestow curse*, blindness, meld into stone, stone shape
4 poison, discern lies*
Stone Command (Su): As a move action, Blind Stheno can cause a medium petrified creature to attack as a Medium animated object for 3 rounds. Stheno can command two such creatures at a time.
Poison (Ex): Injury, Fortitude DC 19, initial 1d6 Wis, secondary 2d6 Wis.
Here's a rough rough draft-- don't ask me what challenge level!
Blind Stheno
Medium Monstrous Humanoid (Medusa/Cleric 7)
Hit Dice: 12d8+12 (80 hp)
Initiative: +6
Speed: 30 ft (6 squares)
Armor Class: 18 (+2 Dex, +3 natural, +3 ring of protection)
Base Attack/Grapple: +11/+11
Attack: Snakes +13 melee (1d6 plus poison)
Full Attack: Snakes +13 melee (1d6 plus poison)
Space/Reach: 5 ft
Special Attacks: Stone Command, poison, spells
Special Qualities: Spells
Saves: Fort +8, Ref +9, Will +13
Abilities: Str 10, Dex 15, Con 12, Int 12, Wis 16, Cha 15
Skills: Hide in Shadows, Intimidate, Knowledge (History), Knowledge (Religion), Listen, Move Silently, Survival
Feats: Greater Bite, Weapon Finesse, Improved Initiative, Track, Greater Venom
Spells
0 detect magic, guidance (x3), resistance, read magic
1 bane, cause fear, comprehend languages, doom*, entropic shield, sanctuary
2 augury*, darkness, spiritual weapon, undetectable alignment, zone of truth
3 bestow curse*, blindness, meld into stone, stone shape
4 poison, discern lies*
Stone Command (Su): As a move action, Blind Stheno can cause a medium petrified creature to attack as a Medium animated object for 3 rounds. Stheno can command two such creatures at a time.
Poison (Ex): Injury, Fortitude DC 19, initial 1d6 Wis, secondary 2d6 Wis.
Y'all are gonna make me blush.
At the risk of over-stoning the thread, I'll just sneak in one medusa NPC here:
Blind Stheno
Stheno is a fourth generation daughter of Cazhaak Draal and a seer of The Shadow. Some time after Sora Teraza’s historic encounter with Queen Sheshka, Stheno managed to arrange her own audience with the dusk hag. The two spoke for a night and a day—about what, Stheno has not revealed. But at the end of their conversation, the medusa emerged from her chapel and used her snakes to gouge out her own eyes.
Since then, Blind Stheno has wandered the avenues of Cazhaak Draal alone, forsaking her house and sleeping in abandoned ruins. She retains enough perception through her mane of snakes to negotiate the crumbling walls and paths of the city, and though she has lost her petrifying gaze, her divine powers have grown. She claims to hear the voices of the transformed, and spends the majority of her time whispering to the stony remains along the Street of Statues. The other medusas bring Blind Stheno offerings in exchange for prophecies and prayers to The Shadow, and the slaves and beasts of Cazhaak Draal give her a wide berth.
For PCs, Blind Stheno could be one more obstacle to infiltrating the City of Stone, or a dangerous source of secrets. She has removed herself from medusa society, and feels no obligation to raise alarms (nor would her peers feel obliged to avenge her death). If approached properly, Blind Stheno could reveal a missing piece of information that the party needs, or offer leads to a new adventure. Mad or not, she knows a great deal of lore about the city and Khyber in addition to her oracular powers.3.5 Ed Blind SthenoIn 3.5 edition rules, Blind Stheno is a medusa with several levels of cleric. She has lost her gaze attack, but makes up for it with curses and Earth spells (meld into stone, stone shape, etc). She can also cause petrified creatures to fight for her for a few rounds, using the stats of a medium animated object. Her poison causes Wisdom damage instead of Strength damage, and induces intense, nightmarish hallucinations.
Here's a rough rough draft-- don't ask me what challenge level!
Blind Stheno
Medium Monstrous Humanoid (Medusa/Cleric 7)
Hit Dice: 12d8+12 (80 hp)
Initiative: +6
Speed: 30 ft (6 squares)
Armor Class: 18 (+2 Dex, +3 natural, +3 ring of protection)
Base Attack/Grapple: +11/+11
Attack: Snakes +13 melee (1d6 plus poison)
Full Attack: Snakes +13 melee (1d6 plus poison)
Space/Reach: 5 ft
Special Attacks: Stone Command, poison, spells
Special Qualities: Spells
Saves: Fort +8, Ref +9, Will +13
Abilities: Str 10, Dex 15, Con 12, Int 12, Wis 16, Cha 15
Skills: Hide in Shadows, Intimidate, Knowledge (History), Knowledge (Religion), Listen, Move Silently, Survival
Feats: Greater Bite, Weapon Finesse, Improved Initiative, Track, Greater Venom
Spells
0 detect magic, guidance (x3), resistance, read magic
1 bane, cause fear, comprehend languages, doom*, entropic shield, sanctuary
2 augury*, darkness, spiritual weapon, undetectable alignment, zone of truth
3 bestow curse*, blindness, meld into stone, stone shape
4 poison, discern lies*
Stone Command (Su): As a move action, Blind Stheno can cause a medium petrified creature to attack as a Medium animated object for 3 rounds. Stheno can command two such creatures at a time.
Poison (Ex): Injury, Fortitude DC 19, initial 1d6 Wis, secondary 2d6 Wis.
The Court of the Three Sisters are made from ancient chamber and hand cut halls. There are many different chambers of different sizes and severs as many different things. The halls are lined with orbs of white light, like small suns. The complex is center around a large domed chamber where the sisters meet adventures, diplomats and their warlords. The only way to get to in to the complex is thought the courtyard that stays at the front of the gate and the hall that leads to the large chamber. In the center of room is a circle of colored stone. Across from the main door is were the three sister sit in their thrones and around the room there are chairs were the warlord sit when they sister call them. The walls are carved with scenes of the hags or there armies in battle. No one knows who carved the them but some say they were carved by Sora Teraza when she was having visions. The carvings are only separated my archways leads to different rooms and chambers.
Description
Blackwater lake lies on and bisects the unofficial borders between Droaam and the Shadow Marches. Since neither nation has been formally recognised under the Thronehold Accords, the actual border means little, but Blackwater Lake is a blessing and curse in disguise for the Hags.
Blackwater Lake is so named due the unusual properties of the water. All year round, no matter what the weather or prevailing ambient light, the water is still and ebony black as though it were some underground aquifer dimly lit by a distant torchlight. Water that is removed from the lake (carried in a barrel or waterflask) retains this unusual property and never seems to go off. However drinking the water is a different matter.
Very little grows around the lake, mostly banks of stunted reeds that seem drained of all colour and life. A few patches of spindly woodland can be found around the lake, though the branches off these trees are strangely bare like deciduous trees in winter.
A pale mist usually covers the lake if anyone were foolish enough to try crossing it by boat. Though the mist hangs some distance from the bank, once a person enters it they can nothing beyond arms reach. The few that have boated across the lake claim that even after entering the mist and trying to paddle directly out of it they could find no exit, as though the mist had somehow entrapped them and was not willing to let them go easily.
Supernatural Origins
Blackwater lake sits upon an manifest zone to Dolurrh, which explains the unsual properties and strange sightings associated with the lake. Fortunately the connection is not strong enough to allow the dead to breach the walls between worlds, but the underlying nature of this area are much more insidious.
Much like Dolurrh, Blackwater Lake does not easily let those that come to it's shore leave as easily as they arrived. Anybody who skirts the edges of the lake finds that if they attempt to head away from the lake sudden peat bogs and other impassable terrain appears, forcing them back towards the shore. And those who do brave a water crossing instead find themselves lost within the cloying mists, unable to escape even if using a compass or other natural means of navigation.
Aryth Ascendant
The powers of Blackwater Lake are tied into the orbit of Aryth, the orange-red moon orbiting Eberron, also known as the Gateway. When Aryth is waning or a new moon the lake's hold on the surroudings is at it's weakest. According to all the rumours associated with the lake, the only people to escape it's shores have been those that left when Aryth was at it's dimmest.
On the other hand when Aryth is waxing or at full Blackwater Lake is at it's strongest. However during the three nights when it is full people also find it possible to escape the treacherous lake. But it is during these three days that Blackwater Lake sees the most travellers. Sora Teraza was the first to reveal the secret's of Blackwater lake and shared it with her sisters. According to the Dusk Hag when Aryth is at it's brightest the boders between Dolurrh, Eberron and the past are at their weakest. During the three nights when the light of Aryth falls upon the lake a strange ziggurat/temple appears, some ancient edifice from the time of the Dhakanni empire. If someone braves wading through the waters they can reach the stone docks of the temple and enter it. The ziggurat is guarded by black cloaked figures whose faces are never seen, but whose emaciated forms can be discerned from the way the cloaks hang about their body.
Inside this temple a person is able to beseech some nameless force to reveal the secrets of the past and the dead to them. It is unknown what price is involved in the bargain, but all who leave the temple never speak of it. They do however leave with precisely what they came to learn, though it isn't always what they expected.
All attempts to divine the origins or nature of the temple have failed and those few learned scholars who have heard talk of Blackwater Lake give conflicting views. Interestingly enough a recent Morgrave Lecturer who was able to barter safe passage with the Gnoll Brotherhood claims that the markings he saw upon the temple match those few that survive from the temple-zigguarats dating back to the Dhakaan Empire. The lecturer claims that the Blackwater Ziggurat may be somehow connected to the lost 16th God of the Dhakaan, erased from all history for some unknown reason.
Drinking the Blackwater
Sometimes a traveller is brave enough to steal some of the Blackwater. Sometimes they are even foolish enough to imbibe the water. Those that do find their perception gradually changes over the course of the day. By nightfall all colour has drained from their sight, the world cast in hazy grey and black shadows. Worse still they find themselves unable to sleep and afflicted by dark visions. These visions usually consist of ghosts of loved ones or people they have known through their lives coming back to haunt them. The few that have not been driven mad speak of persecution and endless accusations from the ghosts, blaiming all manner of misfortune and bad luck upon the person.
If someone is able to survive the night without breaking under the strain of lack of sleep and constant harrasment by the dead, they find their torment ends with the sunrise. Life and colour returns to their sight and the ghosts fade away as the sun rises. Interestingly those that survive the visions find themselves better able to avoid the entrapping qualities of Blackwater Lake and have a greater insight into the past and the dead.
Inhabitants
Few beings are foolish enough to live near Blackwater Lake due to it's entrapping qualities. There is however a Clan of Gnolls that live near the lake known as the Last Sight Clan. For whatever reason a disproportiant number of Gnolls born to the Last Sight clan are albino. The Last Sight Clan also contains a number of very fervant and powerful priests of the Keeper, attributing this strength to their close proximity to the lake.
The Last Sight Clan typically bleach their manes white and spot the fur around their eyes with charcoal, giving them a strangely haunting and almost ghostly appearance. The warriors and hunters of the Last Sight clan tend to wear small bone fetishes and charms woven into their fur and hanging off their belongings, typically trophies from the enemies they kill. They also carry a ritual bone dagger, usually crafted from the rib bones of one of their ancestors (who may or may not have given it willingly).
The women of the clan are well versed in the healing arts as well as expert poisoners. Many of the women show an almost supernatural level of understanding and manipulation of the forces surrounding life and death. If an adventurer were poisoned or suffering from an unknown or incurable disease, the shamans of the Last Sight clan may be their last hope.
It is known that the ritual of coming of age amongst the Clan is to go to the shores of Blackwater Lake alone and drink it's water. Those that survive are able to leave the lake and return, those that don't simply disappear. The other Gnoll clans give the Last Sight a wide berth and find them to be very morbid and serious people (by Gnoll standards). But they are merciless and cold soldiers, cutting down their opponents with clinical efficiency.
The Last Sight Clan are the unofficial guides of Blackwater Lake. Those that dare to venture near the lake had best seek out a scout or camp of the Last Sight before approaching any further. The hunters of the Last Sight do not take kindly to intruders and happily kill anyone that has not seeked approval from them before entering their lands.
The current Clan Chief of the Last Sight is Laz'Gram. The former mate of the chief of the clan, Laz'Gram killed her mate when he he showed a moment of weakness and mercy five years ago. Now the undisputed chief and Shaman of the Clan, Laz'Gram has solidified the clan's hold on the lands surrounding Blackwater Lake. Though middle-aged, Laz'Gram is still as strong and as cunning as any of the hunters of the Clan. In recent months she has noticed an increase in the number of travellers going to or through the lands around Blackwater Lake. Realising the opportunity for profit, Laz'Gram has begun demanding tribute for safe passage through her lands. The clan chief also realises that her warriors may be the only people with the capability to safely approach and leave Blackwater Lake, so she has also begun hiring guides out to those willing to pay (which is most).
Laz'Gram's prophetic powers are quite potent by her clans standards and she has the rare ability to bring the dead to life. A devoted follower of the Keeper, Laz'Gram carries her clans almost supernatural connection to the living and the dead to an all new level. It is said that she can summon undead and even curse a person to be haunted by never-ending dreams of death and lost loved ones.
This is my take on Cazhaak Draal and its elite. It's worth noting that I prefer a less monstrous interpretation of the medusas
Really nice work. Just wanted to let you know, if you didn't already, Keith apparently looks at the medusa in less monstrous way as well. Course, judging by the info in your post you do. Maybe others don't though. ;)
http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/ebds/20060905a
i have a question for you about Suthar Draal becaues i want to know if you have put it as some thing owned my the Medusa??
I don't have anything in particular about Suthar Draal just yet (in my campaign, I used that spot on the map for something completely specific to my game). The map makes it look like Suthar Draal is a bit higher up in the Byeshk Mountains, so I'd be tempted to put some of the harpy flights, minotaurs, and hill giants there.
Blackwater Lake
I am a sucker for:
- Spooky locales
- Incorporating the moons into the campaign
- Gnoll tribes
So, basically, cool.
Just wanted to let you know, if you didn't already, Keith apparently looks at the medusa in less monstrous way as well. Course, judging by the info in your post you do. Maybe others don't though.
http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/ebds/20060905a
That Dragonshard did indeed influence me quite a bit.
Monsterocalypse
Picture it: Scorch (from Ralph Bakshi's Wizards), Darkness's domain (Legend)
In this interpretation of Droaam, monsters are not people-- they are monsters. Rather than building coherent societies and sustainable living, their primary motivation seems to be ganging up and terrorizing other people. Even the land is monstrous: arid plains that fry by day and freeze by night, dismal swamps of quicksand and vapors, and treacherous cliffs that crumble into shadowed gorges. Towns like Graywall are guttering points of light, while the Great Crag is a Grand Guignol theater of bloody excess. The monsters are less organized but more ubiquitous, popping up to harry trespassers with little excuse or explanation. The Daughters of Sora Kell are embodiments of the land’s monstrosity: terrible, unfathomable, eternal.
This version of Droaam lends itself to straight-up monster battles. The DM doesn’t need to worry about plot or backstory, and the players don’t have to worry about social consequences. In a way, this approach turns Droaam into a sort of “elemental plane of monsters,” in which the logical connection between features is secondary to freaking out the players. Care should be taken lest it become indistinguishable from the Demon Wastes—Droaam has more life; it’s just teratogenic.
Haggle Rock
Picture it: The goblin city and labyrinth (Labyrinth), the Terrible Tunnel and Wander McMooch’s swamp (Fraggle Rock), pretty much the entire world of The Dark Crystal
This version of Droaam presents the weirdness of “the other” as something compelling, rather than repelling. The gnolls and goblins are still dangerous, but they (and the minotaurs, harpies, medusas, etc) fit into their own crowded, convoluted ecology that works for them. The land isn’t desolate so much as it resists cultivation; the local flora and fauna are alien and hard to tell from one another (especially the closer one gets to Mordain’s realm). Heterogenous settlements like Graywall and Vralkek are more common, and the monsters can be negotiated with if a person can figure out their distorted world views quick enough. The Daughters of Sora Kell preside over the land like queens, the axes around which Droaam’s strangeness revolves. Disturb them, and who knows what will happen to the intricate balance.
This version of Droaam makes exploration and (narrative) experience the focus of encounters. The DM will have a greater responsibility to come up with vivid detail, especially outlandish NPCs that the characters may encounter more than once. The players may find more allies and safe spaces than usual, but they’ll also have to think twice before striking with sword and spell. Monsters can go from foe to friend and back again with Wonderland reasoning-- observation is key.
I love this thread too much to let it die ^_^
I am a sucker for:
- Spooky locales
- Incorporating the moons into the campaign
- Gnoll tribes
So, basically, cool.
That Dragonshard did indeed influence me quite a bit.
Right back at you Alas, I LOVE your stuff on the Gnolls (I've always had a soft-spot for them). Come-on everyone let's keep the thread going (I'm working on some other locales specific stuff, will post later).
In centuries past, the Brelish crown offered large tracts of the Droaam barrens to anyone willing to settle there and make something of it. Many ambitious merchant families considered this encouraged colonization a short track to nobility and lept at the chance, despite the gnolls, harpies, and worse. One such family was headed by Tharew Igthorn, an ironmonger originally from the Galethspyre region of Breland. Tharew bought a baronial title from the king, invested in a decent mercenary force, and sailed up the Scar River until he found a likely looking promontory. There the ir'Igthorns planted their banner, the family crest still uknown and untested.
Baron Tharew I spent most of his 20 year term building the Igthorn manor-fortess and fending off the nearest tribes. His daughter, Baroness Ritha, inherited enough of a safety buffer to revive the family business and start exporting metalwork back to Breland. It was with Baron Tharew II that the family's fortunes, and infamy, truly blossomed. Tharew II took the unprecedented step of trading with the local gnoll and orc tribes, rather than driving them off. He gave them arms enough to attack their traditional enemies, and they escorted his caravans up and down the Scar. But Tharew II's greatest legacy was converting to the druidic faith of the Gatekeepers and marrying into the Maashak orc clan. Through Tharew II's maneuvering, Tharew III was not only Bargon ir'Igthorn, but also Chief of the Maashak and Gatekeeper of the Scar River Circle.
For the next few generation, the half-orc and human heirs of ir'Igthorn split their time between the family fortress in Droaam (where the wealth was made) and more cosmopolitan residences in Sharn (where the wealth was conspicuously spent). Though the ir'Igthorns were never invited to the ir'Tain Gala, they were reluctantly recognized as one of the crown's stronger representatives in Droaam, and the ir'Igthorn half-orcs were regular fixtures in House Tharashk's social sphere.
But the Last War changed every family's fortunes, and rarely for the better. The ir'Igthorns saw an initial boom in business as they fed raw material into the Brelish war machine, but increasing tribal unrest in Droaam made them reluctant to send abroad the knights they needed to protect the family lands. When the goblin revolt led to the establishment of Darguun, rumors circulated that the ir'Igthorns had known it was coming. Certainly they profited from later trade, but no one has proven conclusively that this was anything other than (still distasteful) financial opportunism. The true pivot in ir'Igthorn's fate came in 986 when the Daughters of Sora Kell issued their summons to the warlords of Droaam. The reigning patriarch at the time, Baron Resh II, presented a semblance of guarded neutrality and made preparations for a siege. But when King Boranel ordered the evacuation of Brelish citizens in 987, Resh II refused, suddenly allying with the hags. His son Resh III, safely ensconced in Sharn, managed to save the family title from abolishment by denouncing Resh II as a traitor and volunteering immediately to service in the Brelish army.
Since that time, the ir'Igthorn family has existed in two branches. The Igthorn Clan still rules the family lands along the Scar River, while the ir'Igthorn family clings to its investments in Sharn. A few of the prominent family members are:
Baroness Ritha IV
Ritha IV is the daughter of Resh II, and the ruler of the family in Droaam. Like most warlords, she treads a fine line between demonstrating subservience to the Daughters of Sora Kell and ruthlessly trying to expand her own powerbase. In addition to the small but veteran force of knights she fields from the family fortress, Ritha is also Chief of the Maashak tribe and nominal commander of its warriors. Ritha's problem, however, is a spiritual one. While respectful of her family and tribe's druidic traditions, she herself is a devotee of the martial triumvirate of Dol Dorn, Dol Arrah, and the Mockery (a faith she developed during her youth in Rekkenmark). The growing cult of personality around the hags therefore disturbs her more than politically, and every incident of troll fanaticism makes her wonder at her father's choice.
Show
Ritha is a half-orc with levels in an adventuring class. In 3rd edition terms, she could be a fighter or knight with a few cleric levels. In 4th edition terms, she could be a fighter or warlord with the Initiate of the Faith feat. A more interesting cross-edition choice would be to make Ritha a paladin of the triumvirate, caught between her faith and pragmatism.
Blackwater Lake
this is good
exept for the part about the god of the Dhakaan Empire. because the Dhakaan Empire was agnostic. the 16th gods where from after the empire had fallen. but other than that it whas good
The Ir'Igthorn Family
In centuries past, the Brelish crown offered large tracts of the Droaam barrens to anyone willing to settle there and make something of it. Many ambitious merchant families considered this encouraged colonization a short track to nobility and lept at the chance, despite the gnolls, harpies, and worse. One such family was headed by Tharew Igthorn, an ironmonger originally from the Galethspyre region of Breland. Tharew bought a baronial title from the king, invested in a decent mercenary force, and sailed up the Scar River until he found a likely looking promontory. There the ir'Igthorns planted their banner, the family crest still uknown and untested.
Baron Tharew I spent most of his 20 year term building the Igthorn manor-fortess and fending off the nearest tribes. His daughter, Baroness Ritha, inherited enough of a safety buffer to revive the family business and start exporting metalwork back to Breland. It was with Baron Tharew II that the family's fortunes, and infamy, truly blossomed. Tharew II took the unprecedented step of trading with the local gnoll and orc tribes, rather than driving them off. He gave them arms enough to attack their traditional enemies, and they escorted his caravans up and down the Scar. But Tharew II's greatest legacy was converting to the druidic faith of the Gatekeepers and marrying into the Maashak orc clan. Through Tharew II's maneuvering, Tharew III was not only Bargon ir'Igthorn, but also Chief of the Maashak and Gatekeeper of the Scar River Circle.
For the next few generation, the half-orc and human heirs of ir'Igthorn split their time between the family fortress in Droaam (where the wealth was made) and more cosmopolitan residences in Sharn (where the wealth was conspicuously spent). Though the ir'Igthorns were never invited to the ir'Tain Gala, they were reluctantly recognized as one of the crown's stronger representatives in Droaam, and the ir'Igthorn half-orcs were regular fixtures in House Tharashk's social sphere.
But the Last War changed every family's fortunes, and rarely for the better. The ir'Igthorns saw an initial boom in business as they fed raw material into the Brelish war machine, but increasing tribal unrest in Droaam made them reluctant to send abroad the knights they needed to protect the family lands. When the goblin revolt led to the establishment of Darguun, rumors circulated that the ir'Igthorns had known it was coming. Certainly they profited from later trade, but no one has proven conclusively that this was anything other than (still distasteful) financial opportunism. The true pivot in ir'Igthorn's fate came in 986 when the Daughters of Sora Kell issued their summons to the warlords of Droaam. The reigning patriarch at the time, Baron Resh II, presented a semblance of guarded neutrality and made preparations for a siege. But when King Boranel ordered the evacuation of Brelish citizens in 987, Resh II refused, suddenly allying with the hags. His son Resh III, safely ensconced in Sharn, managed to save the family title from abolishment by denouncing Resh II as a traitor and volunteering immediately to service in the Brelish army.
Since that time, the ir'Igthorn family has existed in two branches. The Igthorn Clan still rules the family lands along the Scar River, while the ir'Igthorn family clings to its investments in Sharn. A few of the prominent family members are:
Baroness Ritha IV
Ritha IV is the daughter of Resh II, and the ruler of the family in Droaam. Like most warlords, she treads a fine line between demonstrating subservience to the Daughters of Sora Kell and ruthlessly trying to expand her own powerbase. In addition to the small but veteran force of knights she fields from the family fortress, Ritha is also Chief of the Maashak tribe and nominal commander of its warriors. Ritha's problem, however, is a spiritual one. While respectful of her family and tribe's druidic traditions, she herself is a devotee of the martial triumvirate of Dol Dorn, Dol Arrah, and the Mockery (a faith she developed during her youth in Rekkenmark). The growing cult of personality around the hags therefore disturbs her more than politically, and every incident of troll fanaticism makes her wonder at her father's choice.ShowRitha is a half-orc with levels in an adventuring class. In 3rd edition terms, she could be a fighter or knight with a few cleric levels. In 4th edition terms, she could be a fighter or warlord with the Initiate of the Faith feat. A more interesting cross-edition choice would be to make Ritha a paladin of the triumvirate, caught between her faith and pragmatism.